NFL Free Agency has officially begun now that the new league year is underway, but as we all know, the vast majority of the action has already taken place.

The Washington Commanders were pretty active as most expected them to be. They re-signed several key contributors from last season and brought in some new faces – whether it was through a simple signing or a trade. It's not over yet, as there is still plenty of time left in the first wave of free agency.

So, let's not waste any more time and grade the Commanders' first moves of free agency. Click on the table of contents below if you want to skip ahead.

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Extensions/Re-signings

K Zane Gonzalez returns on a one-year, $1.17 million deal

The Commanders shuffled through more kickers than you can count on one hand in 2024 and they finally landed on Gonzalez, who made 71.4% of his seven field goal attempts and 100% of his 19 PAT attempts. The field goal conversion percentage is obviously nowhere even close to what an NFL kicker should be making. One of his misses came from 50+ and the other came in the 40-49 yard range, which is obviously not encouraging considering how useful a kicker with a big, accurate leg can be. He did make the game-winning kick in the Wild Card matchup against the Bucs, however, even if it was a doinker that almost went sideways. It makes sense for Washington to run it back with Gonzalez, especially at this price, but he shouldn't be viewed as a long-term option or even a lock to make the roster in 2025.

Grade: C+

Bobby Wagner will help anchor the Commanders defense for another year

Contract Details: One-year, $9 million

This was a no-brainer for the Commanders. Sure, Wagner is on the back end of his career, but he can still provide quality snaps on a consistent basis and leadership/locker room presence is invaluable in their own right.

He's a great complement to Frankie Luvu and will be able to help the defense take the necessary steps forward in 2025. Those factors, on top of the fact that he's making less than $10 million, easily make this an A.

Grade: A

Zach Ertz runs it back and John Bates gets a three-year deal

The Commanders tight end room is locked and loaded for 2025. Ertz emerged as one of Jayden Daniels' most reliable targets, as 2024 eventually became his best season in five years. Not only was Ertz reliable, he came up with several clutch plays that helped the Commanders win games. There's little reason to think he can't replicate last year's success.

Bates isn't the receiving threat that Ertz is, but he's one of the game's best blocking tight ends. He can also catch when called upon, so it makes sense why the Commanders locked him up before the legal tampering period began.

Ertz's deal is a modest one at $6.25 million in base pay and Bates' details have yet to be released. Unless they're paying the latter $10 million per year, which is highly doubtful, both moves qualify as A-listers.

Grade: A

Fan-favorite punter Tress Way will play his 12th season with Washington in 2025

The two-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year, $2.87 million extension before the legal tampering period began. He finished with the fourth-best net punting average of his career (42.9) last year and he pinned 44% of his punts inside the 20, which was the third-best mark of his career. He's also the holder on field goal attempts, so bringing him back keeps the chemistry going in that department.

Grade: A

Jeremy McNichols' solid 2024 campaign buys him another year with the Commanders

McNichols was very good when called upon last year, recording 261 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 55 carries – good for 4.7 yards per pop. His 58.2% success rate ranked only behind Chris Rodriguez, who was recently tendered by the Commanders. He is expected to a sign a one-year deal; numbers have yet to be released.

McNichols also played 46% of the Washington's special teams snaps, providing value there, as well. In all, he rounds a very solid running back room thats looking to build off a very good 2024 season. Not knowing the contract details is the only thing keeping this from receiving an A.

Grade: B+

Marcus Mariota is back to help solidify the QB room

The Commanders raved about Mariota last year. He played a key role in helping Jayden Daniels acclimate to NFL life and he even helped his teammates rally in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys to win on a last-second touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.

Mariota agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal, so he got a nice raise from his $6 million deal, last year. It's well-deserved and he'll continue to help behind-the-scenes (and under the lights when needed) in 2025.

Grade: A

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Outside Signings/Trades

Deebo Samuel comes in to help elevate the Commanders' passing attack

You know Jayden Daniels is a fan of this move. While I do maintain it would've been better to wait out the 49ers, who would've had to release Samuel before his bonus kicked in anyway, a fifth-round pick for a playmaker of Samuel's caliber is an absolute steal.

Where things level out is the salary and the lack of production over the years . Samuel will cost the Commanders $17.5 million in cap space and most, if not all of it, is cash. Sure, Jon Allen's release basically offset Samuel's contract, but releasing a starter to afford another is typically not a game you want to play.

For starters, the lack of production since Samuel signed his massive deal in 2022 doesn't warrant that type of cap hit/salary. The former Pro Bowler has failed to log more than 900 receiving yards and 250 rushing yards in a single season since going off for 1,405 and 365 yards, respectively, in 2021. He's also recorded 21 total touchdowns over the last three years after recording 14, alone, in '21.

Samuel also isn't a true No. 2 receiver. Yes, he'll be the second option in this passing attack, but he is more of a product of scheme than he is of his own creation. That's fine, because he is electric once the ball is in his hands and he has the traits to line up all over the offensive formation. But he's not going to win on curl routes or double-moves on a consistent basis – that's just not his game.

Overall, it's a move that will help the Commanders, it just could've been executed differently to where the risk is mitigated a lot more.

Grade: B

Laremy Tunsil gives the Commanders an elite player at a premium position

The Commanders have one of the NFL's best left tackles on their roster at a bargain ($20.135 million in both 2025 and 2026) and it cost them more future draft capital than it did present capital.

Using the Jimmy Johnson draft value chart, the Commanders basically traded their own 29th pick in this year's draft to acquire Tunsil. A single first-rounder that's in the back end of Round 1 for a top-tier tackle making low-end money for his position and talent level? Please. Sign me up for that all day.

When you add surplus value into the mix, the cost gets a steeper. Per Ben Baldwin's NFL Draft Value Chart, the trade gave the Texans an 88.18 in on-field value, which is equal to the 11th overall pick in Round 1. Still, that's an OK price to pay for a player like Tunsil and the Commanders offensive line is in much better shape after the trade.

He'll improve both pass protection and the ground game to the point where things will looked markedly better in 2025. The one area Tunsil has to improve, however, is penalties. He led every single NFL player with 19 last year and the vast majority of those were pre-snap penalties. In other words: He could've controlled the outcome on almost every single penalty that was called.

If Tunsil can clean that up and keep his current level of play up, then this trade is more than worth it.

Grade: A

Javon Kinlaw is the lone blemish of the Commanders' free agent class so far

I'll be 100% honest: I hate this signing. Mainly because of what it cost Kinlaw to become a Commander and not as much the player, but still, combing the two elements make it a bad signing off the bat. Only time will tell us if it ends up on the other side of the fence.

But for now, it's easy to see why this is a very questionable move. First off, Kinlaw received $30 million guaranteed that includes his $12+ million base salary in 2026, so it's a two-year deal no matter what. Then, the deal averages $15 million per year, which is simply way too much when looking at his resume.

The idea here is Adam Peters and Dan Quinn believe his best football is in front of him and that's why his salary is what it is. Even then, he struggled in New York and has been simply average over the course of his career. Throw in previous knee issues that limited to him to 10 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons and it only adds to the enigma that is this signing.

Kinlaw is expected to come in and be a stout force against the run in more of a 4-5 tech role, but he's a below-average run defender that's never gotten above average in his career. Paying him less than $8 million a year would've made sense, but the fact he's getting this much, for so little, makes this a bad signing.

Grade: F

Will Harris is a solid signing that will help offset the loss of Jeremy Chinn

Per A to Z New Orleans' Adam Holt:

He's a hard-hitting safety that plays with great energy and effort. For the Saints, there were points last season when he played like the best safety on the roster, undoubtedly.

Not to mention, he laid the boom on a rival wide receiver for Washington last year in Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb.

I’d expect Dan Quinn to get the most out of a player like Harris. He plays hard, and Quinn has always valued effort on the back end of his defenses. Plus, the veteran DB has the ability to play deep and in the box. He’s got experience and play-making ability in both areas. All in all, an underrated addition to a defense that played better than their talent level indicated in 2024.

At two-years, $6 million, there is a great chance this could end up in the same category as last year's value signings that turned out to be great decisions. Although I would've liked to see them add a safety that's a bit younger and has more ball production, this still works.

Grade: B

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Final Grade

If it weren't for Kinlaw, this list would receive an A grade. That move drops it down a letter grade, unfortunately. Still, it's a really solid haul for the Commanders that has them in a great spot to take a step forward in 2025.

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